Wat Chang Lom

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Boasting 32 stucco elephant sculptures surrounding a large bell-shaped chedi, Wat Chang Lom is a minor site that’s worth a quick stop if you have the time.

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Rimmed by trees and a moat, the large brick chedi’s square base sports some of the most striking elephant images found anywhere in Sukhothai and related cities. Even those that have fallen apart still display gentle eyes on heads that often rest on broken trunks, looking peaceful in their venerable ages. A handful of the sculptures were touched up during restorations and now stand complete with ears, trunks and tusks.

Elephants all in a row at Wat Chang Lom. Photo: David Luekens

There’s not much else to see here apart from some brick walls, spirit houses, broken Buddha images and laterite pillars in the remains of a small wihaan. Now featured in the Ramkamhaeng National Museum, a stone inscription that was found here details the good deeds of a 14th-century ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 100 words.)